Featured MMA Fighter: Kin "Kong" Moy

Kin Moy, is 5-0 with a recent victory over Matt Dohert. Moy is widely regarded as the man to beat in the 135 weight class.

1) When and why did you get into mma?

That's a doozy of a question for me, as there was a lot that went into it. I've been doing martial arts since I was 9, but in a totally half-assed way. I would train once a week and think I was the shit. I was more into traditional martial arts at the time and one of my buddies showed me UFC, which got my attention -- but not in the way you might think! I was always into the 'style vs style' question, so I liked the concept of an 'anything goes' type of match, BUT I couldn't stand the grappling.

I was 16 or so when I first started watching MMA with my friend, and it really wasn't because I enjoyed it; it was because I liked to critique it. "That grappling stuff wouldn't work in a real fight!" "These guys suck at striking, why don't they chamber their kicks?!" I was essentially one of those fantasy-land d-bags that drive me insane now...

But that all changed when I saw Anderson Silva destroy Chris Leben in his UFC debut. That opened my eyes to the beauty and artistry of combat sports. Fascinated by Anderson Silva, I decided that I had to see more of him, so I would watch UFC events that featured him. Eventually I began to like other fighters and slowly but surely, I actually grew to enjoy the sport itself. From there, the natural next step was to give it a shot myself!

2) Do you have a background in martial arts, boxing , wrestling etc?

I've trained (again, half-assed) in many different martial arts over the last 11 years. But, since I didn't put enough time into it, I suck at almost all of them so there hasn't been tons of carry over into MMA. I guess you could say that I have a slight background in striking, since I have been training it in one form or another for so long... But at the same time, if you condense all of that once-a-week-training that took place between the age of 9 and 17 (when I started training for real), it'd probably equal a year of intense training.

I definitely don't have the physical skills of someone that's been striking since he was 9, but my conceptual understanding is pretty strong because of my 'background.' It's definitely helped improve faster than I otherwise would.

3) What's you nickname, how did you get it?

My nickname is 'Kong.' One of my teammate's started calling me that because I so strongly objected to the generic ones like 'killer-Kin.' Not only does Kin 'Kong' roll off the tongue well, but there was definitely some ironic humor in the name because at the time, I was the smallest male fighter in the gym. Everyone else was at least 180+ and towering over me.



4) What are your ultimate goals in the sport?

My ultimate goal in the sport is to be the UFC 135 champion. I don't know if I'll ever be able to pull that off, but you might as well shoot for the stars right? I also hope to become a full-time instructor someday. I really love teaching and I have a real talent for it, if I do say so myself. I'm far better at passing on my knowledge of techniques than executing them. Unfortunately I don't know shit -- at least in the grand scheme of things! And that's why I've got to earn myself some credentials first. So yeah, my goal is to get as far as I can in the sport and then train others to go even further.

5) What do you think about your next opponent?

My next opponent is Rico Disciullo and I think he's freaking DANGEROUS! He's fast, he's explosive, and he hits like a sledgehammer. No hyperbole there -- he literally broke his last opponent's face with like 3 punches. On top of that, he's from a really superb camp and has top-notch training partners.

There's a lot of hype behind him right now because he's made such short work of his opponent's. He's dangerous, for sure, but I still see him as untested. I am a huge step up in competition for him. And in a sense, he's also a step up in competition for me.

Though I'd consider Mike Campanella, for example, to be a more well-rounded obstacle than Rico, I haven't faced anyone with even half his stopping power. Although he hasn't shown it in his MMA matches yet, Dat has some serious head kick KOs under his belt, but kicks don't come in bunches. On the other hand, I've seen Rico swarm people with a hailstorm of killer punches. So yeah, again, he'll be the most dangerous opponent yet.

6) How do you see the fight going/being finished?

Someone is going to get overwhelmed. Either I'm going to get KO'd in a whirlwind of haymakers like all of Rico's past opponents or I'm going beat him down with a winning combination of finesse and grit.

I've seen what he can do, and I have to respect the power and ferocity that he brings to the table. Yet, I don't see myself being another clip on his highlight reel. I can take a serious shot without even blinking, but even more importantly, I'm not the type to just stand around and wait for him to T off on my face. Yeah, that's definitely not on my agenda. I'm more interested in finding out if he can take as much as he can dish.

7) What weight do you walk at/how much do you cut to fight?

If I'm eating whatever I feel like (read: everything within a square mile), I tend to weigh 150-152. If I'm watching my weight, I'll be between 147-149. So I usually begin my drop from somewhere on that range. I shed the weight with a combination of dieting and sweating. I've lost as much as 8 pounds in the sauna before, but lately I've been trying to keep it closer to 5.

8) What's your favorite part about fighting?

My favorite part about fighting is knowing that I'm actually doing something. I hate people who talk and talk but never gear up and do the damn thing. I also hate when people don't realized that 'the damn thing,' isn't just stepping into the cage -- it's training and preparing for the fight. That's the real work; any clown can sign up and climb the stairs. And conversely, plenty of jokers train half-assed and talk about their skills without putting it to the test.

But when I fight, no matter what, I ALWAYS put in the work in the gym. I've always paid my dues before I walk down the aisle call myself a fighter. The actual combat is the climax to the grueling, thrilling, agonizing, beautiful process that is a training camp, that is a fight, that is 3 months of this lifestyle. All of it -- doing all of it right is my favorite part.

9) What's the worst part about fighting?

The worst part about fighting is facing my own doubts and demons. I hate those days when I can't do anything right or when I quit on myself in training and question why I've given up so much of my time and energy on an activity that consists largely of me getting beat up. Like any other fighter, sometimes I leave the gym feeling chewed up and spit out -- earnestly wondering if I actually have what it takes or if I'm just waisting my brain cells on a pipe dream. That takes so much out of me mentally, but I always have to go back for another helping tomorrow, because the show must go on. That moment inbetween agonizing about today's failures and dreading tomorrow's training session is least favorite part about this sport. Oh, and dieting. And sprints... sprints suck.

10) Anyone locally or in the big's that you really would love to fight, and why?

Actually the guy I really want to fight right now is Rico Disciullo, so I'm in luck! I also want to fight Colton Blanchette since he's ranked #3 out of the 135 lbs amateurs (Dave Lachapelle who was ranked #2 is a friend of mine and he went pro). I don't give the rankings tons of weight, but at the same time, they were given for a reason.

I'm much quicker to doubt myself than pat myself on the back, so I feel the need to prove (mostly to myself) that I've earned the #1 ranking and that it wasn't just some mistake or misinterpretation. And the best way to do that is to fight the most dangerous mofos around, such as Rico or Colton.

11)What do you feel is your best weapon in your fights?

I think my biggest weapon is my well-roundedness. Though I'm not amazing at any one aspect of the game, I'm a legitimate threat anywhere (to a 135 lbs amateur, at least). Even more importantly, I put these skills together and use them in combination rather than in isolation.

A close second would be my uniqueness. My striking style is an uncommon martial art in the United States. My gym is a San Da school, which is a Chinese form of kickboxing that's very similar to Muay Thai -- yet markedly distinct! I've got a lot of weapons at my disposal that other people haven't really been exposed to, so they're unprepared to counter my somewhat unorthodox techniques and tactics.

In closing I would like to thank and acknowledge my coaches -- Paul Rosado, Eric Grossman, Lyle Lashley, David Ginsberg, and Marvin Perry! I would also like to thank all of my teammates, but especially the ones who got me started -- Leo Akiki, Jeremiah 'Dr Doom' Diruzzo, and Sonia Mejia!

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, my father David Moy! Sometimes I think that root of my passion for martial arts stemmed from my aspiration to one day be as badass as him! Plus he gave me my foundation in striking.

Thank you all so much! If it weren't for all of you, I'd still be a lonely fat kid playing video games and eating icecream... As opposed to a lonely but fit 20 year old with an eating disorder (read: fighters diet) who daydreams constantly about playing video games and eating icecream. .

Thanks again to Kin, for the very interesting read!!

Posted by Jeremy at 4/19/2011